The Saddest Music in the World (Guy Maddin, 2003)

7/10
I've never seen a Guy Maddin movie before but I really wanted to like this one more than I did because I like Maddin's aesthetics. I liked the way this movie was shot. I guess it could be gimmicky but I don't mind aggressively embracing gimmickry in the way Maddin does.
The plot sounded really intriguing but I was ultimately disappointed that the main focus of the movie was on the characters' inter-personal relationships and less on the contest that kicks off the movie. I think the latter would have been much more interesting. I quite liked Maria de Medeiros (who I only ever knew from her role in Pulp Fiction) but I was never sold on Mark McKinney. It seemed like a strange casting choice and his character never really felt believable to me. Nevertheless I still enjoyed the movie well enough and look forward to seeing Maddin's other works.

A Most Wanted Man (Anton Corbijn, 2014)

7/10
My reaction to A Most Wanted Man reminds me of my reaction to Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, which is that I enjoyed it well enough while it was on screen but it never sparked anything in me beyond that. The movies are similar in that they're both a little knotty and dry (although AMWM is missing the whodunnit aspect in its story) but well-made and very well-acted. Philip Seymour Hoffman is his usual casually great self, making it feel like even more of a shame that this is his last leading role. Willem Dafoe is very good too. Rachel McAdams is okay although her accent is a little wonky at times. As for the director, Anton Corbijn, I hope he finds more to do with himself beyond functional espionage adaptations (his last one was The American) because I feel like he has a lot of talent, and it's being a little wasted in these more by-the-numbers movies.